Victorious Insights For Living: July 2005

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

7 Principles of Eagles




This is an amazing article by Dr. Myles Munroe about eagles and what we can learn from them.

May you soar on wings of eagles. Remember: you can't be sour if you want to soar. :)

1. Eagles fly alone at a high altitude and do not mix with sparrows or other smaller birds like geese. Birds of a feather flock together. No other bird goes to the height of the eagle. Eagles fly alone. Never in a flock. Even when Moses (Old Testament) went to commune with God on the mountain, he left the crowd at the foothills. Stay away from sparrows and ravens. Eagles fly alone

2. Eagles have strong vision, which focuses up to 5 kilometres from the air. When an eagle sites prey- even a rodent from this distance, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things. He feeds on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals but not eagles. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Do your research well, always.

4. The Eagle is the only bird that loves the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the wings of the storm to rise and is pushed up higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm,the eagle stops flapping and uses the pressure of the raging storm to soar the clouds and glide. This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of our lives (obstacles,trouble, etc) to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

5. The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male purusing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases until he reaches it and has to catch it before it falls to the ground, then bring it back to the female eagle.The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a much higher altitude pursued by the male, until she perceives it high enough, and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours,with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of picking the twig which shows commitment, then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her! Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

6. Eagles prepare for training. When about to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach; the male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth picks thorns and lays them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns, and then flies back to pick rugs to put on the grass.When this first layering is complete, the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back toget grass and rugs and lays them on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

7. Eagles find a place of renewal. When the Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out. We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us and add no value to our lives.

Dr. Myles Munroe can also be seen on streaminfaith.com.

Sunday, July 17, 2005


Additional "Freedom to Choose God's Best" meditations:

Philippians 1: 9 - 11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

Isaiah 48:17
This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

Job 22:28
You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God's favor] shall shine upon your ways.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

Romans 8:14
…because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Matthew 5:37
Let your Yes be simply Yes, and your No be simply No; anything more than that comes from the evil one

Matthew 5:37
Just say "yes' and "no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient you will eat the best from the land...

Proverbs 16:32
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Proverbs 21:5
The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hasty only to want.

Proverbs 16:10
Divinely directed decisions are on the lips of the king; his mouth should not transgress in judgment.

Romans 8:32
If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]

Romans 8:37
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

Psalm 118:6
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Hebrews 13:6
So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Achieving Your Dreams

Alot of times we have big dreams and visions, but aren't sure how to get there. One thing you can do is break your dream down into smaller goals. By doing so, you'll be taking one step of faith at a time rather then trying to achieve the vision all at once. Everytime you reach a goal, celebrate. By doing so, you'll be "enjoying where you are to where you are going". I believe this actually aids in the process of achieving your dreams, because you are not only focused on achieving your goals, but also enjoying the journey of your life. As the old adage goes: "success isn't just a destination, but a journey".

Enjoy the journey. You are the best.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Jerry Maguire - My Take

I thought Jerry Maguire was an amazing movie and had tons of biblical principles in it. One of the principles that come to mind was that in order to "find your life" you have to "lose your life". Jesus said that in terms of following Him. In order for Jerry to live his dream and operate in his new found faith in his destiny, he had to literally lose his previous shallow existence as a sports agent, (with all the trappings) in order to find his new life as a person of meaning and destiny.

This is often the case when people come to Christ. Many of the old relationships and trappings of the past fall away as they embark on their new destiny following Jesus on a path of significance.

The other biblical parallels include some of the Characters. I believe that Jerry's agent-mentor - Dicky Fox - represented the Father God. The agent was played by an older Jewish man. He was brimming with positive life truths and insights. He existed in a different dimension (Jerry's Past), but He was forever there for him with words of encouragements and grace such as - "Roll with the punches, tomorrow is a new day." The Word of the Father didn't return void, but accomplished what it said it would do. The bible says to "Enter boldly into the throne of Grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Whenever we are facing life's difficulties and things look impossible we can go to the Father and find mercy and grace from a loving God and ultimately solutions to life's troubles. There are always "answer awaiting in the Presence of God."


The Cuba Gooding Character - Rod Tidwell - represented Jesus as he kept his word and stuck by Jerry in times of adversity. Jesus is called "The friend that sticks closer than a brother" and "The Brother born for adversity". When Jerry's life fell apart, Rod stuck by him through thick and thin, until they finally got their breakthrough. This is like Jesus who always sticks with you, even with times get rough. Jesus is called in the old testament "The Lord of the Breakthrough." During times of adversity, Jesus will stick with you and see you through to your breakthrough. Even if the world forsakes you...He never will.

Jerry's wife - Dorothy Boyd - represented the Holy Spirit as she represented the tenderness, compassion, and comfort of God. The Holy Spirit is called the "Comforter" and the "Helper". Like the Holy Spirit, she was there for support and help and never stopped "believing" in Jerry even when he was having trouble believing in himself. She was also like the Holy Spirit, in that she "completed him". When the Holy Spirit comes and takes up residence in our hearts, He takes away our emptiness and aloneness and fills us to overflowing with Himself.

Dorothy was also like the Holy Spirit, in that she desired to know Jerry intimately. The work of the Holy Spirit is to transition one out of the drudgery of religion, and bring one into an intimate relationship and fellowship with God. It's not of enough to know about God, but to actually know Him intimately and for us to share our hearts with Him. As Dicky Fox said: "The key to this business is personal relationships". That was the heart of Dorothy with Jerry, and the heart of God to us.

The final character that represented a biblical theme was Jerry's adopted son, Ray. Ray represented "child-like faith". Jesus said:

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18: 3-4

Throughout the movie, Jerry had to continue to change and learn a new way of thinking and seeing the world in order to operate effectively in his new life of significance. The word "repent" in the Bible means "to let go of the low way and embrace the high way". The word "penthouse" is rooted in the word "repent". Ray's innocence and child-like humility helped Jerry to let go of the "low way" of his previous "all-about-me" existence to embrace the "high way" of a life worth living.

One definition of insanity is to continue to do the same things over and over and expect things to change. Jerry realized that for him to have the life he'd never had before, he would have to do some thing he'd never done before and, as a result, become the man he had never been before. This required a child-like faith and embracing change.

The last principle that came to mind was the principle of perserverance. Jerry and his new friends and covenant partners - though tempted to quit when all hell broke loose and things seemed to be going from bad to worse - stuck it out in faith till the end. They lived by the adage: "Don't grow weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you don't lose your courage and relax and faint". Ultimately, by not quitting, being loyal to each other, developing closeness and compassion for one another, and being open to change, over time they eventually saw the "Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" and partook of the "higher life" the Jesus promises to those who follow Him. A good land that is filled not only with success and victory, but significance, depth, and most importantly love.